Whether you’re looking for a brand-new toaster oven, interested in upgrading your older model, or searching for classic recipes or operating tips – I’m here to help!
I have done plenty of research on toaster ovens to ensure you have insight into each model, so feel free to browse around the site. Before getting further into details, if you don’t want too many buying tips and information stuff in your mind, you can have a quick glance at the best toaster ovens that I recommend.
List of 9 Best Toaster Ovens Reviews
Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven with Element IQ
[amazon box=”B006CVVA7I”]
This Breville BOV450XL mini smart oven is an appliance designed with the customer in mind. As the name suggests, this product is small in size, but it can perform a lot of functions that normal wall ovens can perform.
It fits nicely on small kitchen countertops or even the smallest kitchens, due to its smaller cubic foot. It also takes very less time to cook and is very easy to use because of its brilliantly designed user interface. BOV450XL has dimensions of 16x13x19 inches and can fit an 11-inch pizza and 4 toast slices.
According to my research, I think this model is the best one for compact toaster ovens.
Features
- Heating Elements:
This oven contains four heating elements which are made of quartz. Two of these heating elements are situated at the top, and two are at the bottom. The good thing about these heating elements is that they are independent of each other and can be turned on and off without affecting the other element. This helps when heat is to be provided only at some specific location and at some specific time.
- Element IQ:
The Element IQ is a brilliant technology used by Breville in many of its ovens. This mini oven also uses Element IQ technology. This sophisticated heating system helps distribute the heat consistently throughout the oven to provide efficient cooking. This happens with the help of the four individual heating elements which can turn on and off independently when needed and provide heat only where you require it to be provided.
- Pre-set Functions:
Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven with Element IQ has 8 pre-set functions designed to perform different tasks. These functions are toast, bake, broil, roast, cookies, reheat, pizza, and bagel. Each of these functions is programmed with a suggested temperature and cooking according to general needs. But this is not where this ends. The user can easily change these settings to personal requirements. These functions are very easy to use because the interface is very user-friendly. The functions can be changed by just turning a knob. The settings can also be customized very easily. The oven contains four buttons. The settings can be customized by pressing the ‘temperature’ and ‘darkness’ buttons while the arrows are for ‘time‘ and ‘slice‘. These settings will remain in the oven memory until you unplug the oven.
This mini oven also contains a button which, upon pressing, adds additional time to defrost and freeze food the user might put in the oven. Another button added to this mini oven is the ‘a bit more’ button which adds some more time to the cooking cycle so that the food gets cooked properly.
- Wattage:
The Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven with Element IQ uses 1800-watt power at maximum. This is distributed among the four heating elements and unlike other ovens, which contain heating elements that can only be turned on and off. This oven can adjust the wattage depending on the requirements of the food being cooked.
- Extra Features:
The door of Breville BOV450XL also contains the guide to the position of the rack, as the cooking results are significantly affected by the position of the rack. The oven comes with a baking pan, which is an added accessory.
The look of the oven is very stylish and is very handy when it comes to cleaning because of its non-stick interior and an easily removable pull-out crumb tray. The body is made of stainless steel and contains a tampered glass door. It has 3 rack positions inside. For perfect cooking results, it is recommended that the top position should be used for broiling, the middle position for toast, bagels, cookies, and pizza, and the lower one for baking, reheating, and roasting.
The interface contains an LCD that calculates the right time and temperature for cooking. It turns orange during preheating and cooking and turns blue once the cooking is done.
It has a lot of features that larger ovens have, and due to its smaller size, it also takes a lesser amount of time during preheating and also for performing other tasks.
Pros
- Space Saving – Breville BOV450XL is a praised mini oven that can even fit inside the smallest kitchens. Under normal circumstances, small-sized ovens can’t perform functions that larger wall ovens can perform; however, this is not the case with Breville BOV450XL. It can perform a variety of functions, so some customers say that they do not necessarily need a larger oven.
- Element IQ – This oven has been correctly named a smart oven because of the genius features that it comes with. Almost Every consumer using this model loves the Element IQ Technology offered by Breville Company. The Element IQ along with the four quartz heating elements, provides consistent heating throughout the oven and can even be changed whenever required according to the needs of the food to be cooked or personal taste. Unlike other toaster ovens, the heating elements of BOV450XL are composed of quartz which response more quickly to heat change to provide even heating and smooth cooking.
- User Friendly – Another feature that really impresses the users is the simple and user-friendly interface. This helps a lot when cooking new recipes and when the user simply wants to try something new. Also, the functions which are programmed with recommended settings can be changed, and they are stored in the memory of the oven as long as it is not unplugged.
- Reheat Function – The reheat function in the oven is another advantage of this product as it uses the top and bottom heating elements, which can be turned on and off to reheat the leftover food. This makes it natural and provides far better results than microwave ovens.
- Extra Convenience – This model also comes with surprises that make owners quite satisfied with their choice. The ‘A bit more’ button is a very useful feature of this mini smart oven as when pressed it adds some more time for the food to cook perfectly. Another surprise of this oven is that the sides do not heat up when working like most other ovens.
Cons
In my research, I found that Breville BOV450XL does not have a lot of cons. It is a little overpriced as compared to other mini ovens, but that is justified by the functions that it can perform.
- Handle – The handle of the oven is a little big in size and sticks out. This wastes a little space.
- Buzzer – The buzzer of this mini oven is louder than a user would expect from a mini oven since it is mostly used in smaller kitchens. It can be annoying for the user to constantly hear a large alarm sound.
- Rack – Another issue with this oven is that the rack does not slide out when the oven is opened. So, the user has to be careful with hot food.
Summary
Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven with Element IQ is designed with the user in mind and has a lot of functions that a customer does not usually expect from a mini oven and gains an overwhelmingly high customer satisfaction rate. So, if you can afford it and you have a small-sized kitchen, you should definitely take this one as it can also perform like a normal wall oven. Its performance will never disappoint you.
Panasonic FlashXpress Compact Toaster Oven NB-G110PW
[amazon box=”B00E07D76S”]
Panasonic FlashXpress Compact Toaster OvenThe Panasonic NB-G110PW (the white model of NB-G110P) Flash Xpress Toaster Oven is a toaster oven with top quality and is one of the highest-rated small-sized toaster ovens in the market. It is fairly small and fits on any kitchen countertop nicely. It has a vast array of extraordinary features, but what sets it apart is its infrared cooking technology, which is efficiently implemented in this appliance. Users of this oven swear by its quality, durability, and excellent results.
Features
- Infrared Cooking
A simple yet ingenious feature, this oven uses infrared halogen bulbs for even and thorough heating. It comes with double infrared cooking, near and far, thus ensuring both the outside and inside parts of food are sufficiently heated.
- Multiple Automatic Cooking Modes
This oven also comes with a pre-set of several cooking modes, such as toast, pizza, and roll. It also calculates the cooking time required for each mode. This is a handy feature and prevents the user from overheating or burning the food.
- Removable Crumb Tray
It is easy to clean since the crumb tray comes out easily from the bottom of the oven.
- Interior Light
It has a bright interior light so that the user can see the food clearly while it is being cooked. In this way, users can make adjustments to the settings based on what they see inside the oven.
- Compact Size
It has a small size and is therefore ideal for small kitchens.
Pros
- Infrared Technology
The most obvious advantage praised by customers this toaster oven has over other similar products is its infrared technology. In simple words, infrared technology dispenses with the need to preheat. Instead, it makes what you put in the oven get instantly heated, and it cooks both the outside and the inside of the food efficiently and completely with near and far infrared heating. As far as I know, customers are very pleased with the results of this technology, reporting that it does what it promises, and food is cooked very evenly. It is especially good at baking frozen food, such as garlic bread, with the center being very soft.
Also, infrared cooking drastically reduces cooking time, which is a major positive factor of this oven. It is important to know that, unlike ultraviolet rays, infrared rays do not affect health and are, therefore, safe to use in ovens. Customers also say that this oven has an excellent performance in making soggy food delicious again, and is able to return the crispness and fresh taste to heated food with a microwave oven. Infrared technology also makes it much faster than other competitors on the market and, therefore, a much more energy-efficient appliance. Its cooking speed adds bonus points for this product when it comes to preparing breakfast in the morning when you are running late.
- High Quality and Durable
Also, it is surprisingly durable and is capable of bearing quite a beating. Users who have mishandled it by mistake have found that it’s tough exterior and high-quality structure are worthy of the name. When it comes to appliances that can be part of your kitchen for a very long time, this product can do this job. Most users find that it works very well for at least six to eight years.
- Convenience
It is easy to clean with the crumb tray which slides out so that crumbs are removed without having to shake them off the oven. Another added value is the bright interior light that indicates cooking. Most customers consider the interior light as an important factor when choosing toaster ovens. It enables the user to see the food clearly when working so that users can judge the process, for example, whether a bagel has achieved the perfect level of toasting.
- Safe
This oven also produces considerably less heat than its traditional oven counterpart. Considering the fact that it is designed primarily for small households, this is an essential feature to achieve comfortable cooking because no one wants a heated living space every time they operate their oven. It also reduces the risk of fire. Besides, it is energy efficient and does not put a huge number on your electricity bill. It has no hot coils, so it is safer than ovens that use this feature.
Cons
- Capacity
First, this oven may not be suitable for people who want to bake large things in it. It is a small-capacity appliance and cannot replace traditional ovens in terms of cooking capacity. Although it is great for toasting and baking small pizzas and slices, it is not possible to cook a chicken in it or bake a full-sized cake. If you are searching in the market for an oven that can do these things (and you have the Space for it), you’d better search for an oven with a larger size.
- Learning Process
There is a learning process that users must go through when they first start using this product. The infrared heating technology, for all its advantages, is different from conventional heating technology, and therefore optimal cooking times and settings are different too. What confuse customers is that recipes and instructions often include how long food should be cooked in the oven; however, these instructions cannot be strictly followed when using this appliance. The user has to develop a feel for the oven’s cooking time and experience some failure and trial. Fortunately, this is not a big problem, since customers have reported that they tend to learn the oven’s cooking time specifications fairly easily, and are able to operate it efficiently.
- Other Minor Problems
Although a majority of customers have found it to be durable, some have found that the steam from the vents damages the paint after a few years of heavy daily use. However, there is no indication that this affects the oven performance. Customers say that you should take care when placing the oven since it has multiple air vents and none should be blocked.
Also, unlike other ovens, the plug is placed on the right side and not at the back of the oven. Knowing this small detail will help prospective buyers better decide where to place the oven in their home. Pressing the buttons to navigate through settings will result in beep sounds, which some people may find irritating. Some users have also reported that the top of the oven gets very hot when it is in operation, and you must take care not to place anything on top of the appliance.
Some people have noticed that it is a bit biased towards its backside, which makes the color on the toasted bottom slightly different from the top. This may not be a noticeable problem to many people.
Summary
If you’re looking for a toaster oven that heats food very well and is capable of baking good quality food in smaller portions, this is definitely what you want. It adheres to Panasonic’s reputation of providing quality products and has features both in design and functionality that have made this oven a favorite of thousands of people who have used it. However, for someone whose cooking needs require a larger oven, this is not an ideal appliance. For everyone else, it is an easy and worthy choice.
Oster TSSTTVMNDG Toaster Oven
[amazon box=”B003Z34OME”]
Oster’s large capacity oven TSSTTVMNDG enables you to cook with ease at your kitchen counter, enhanced with the excellent convection cooking technology, which saves you time and cooks evenly. It was recognized as one of the best products of 2011. It’s also enhanced with an extensive temperature range (150-450°), a 90-minute timer, and 7 preset cooking options including bake, convection bake, broil, toast, pizza, defrost, and warm, and also a very affordable price. This energy-conserving product is very comfortable to use than those traditional toaster ovens.
Features
- Front Panel with Digital Control
This oven has a very attractive front panel that is easy to interact with and controlled digitally. It also comes with touch-to-operate digital buttons that are integrated along with a tiny digital display for timing and power controls, which brings more convenience to users. Digital control is a feature that affects user decisions on choosing toaster ovens because it enhances the accuracy of timing and provides the option of exactly controlled time for cooking.
- Convection Cooking Technology
With the leading convection cooking technology, this toaster oven gives you one of the best cooking experiences you have ever had. The foods are cooked much more evenly and hence reduce the effort and extra time of recooking your foods or burning those edges of pizza while the rest is still uncooked. Thanks to convection technology which makes it is a time-saving and energy-conserving product.
- Large Capacity
Having the capacity to fit a 13″ x 9″ baking and roasting pan, this oven’s large cooking capacity allows you to bake pizzas of sizes from 9″ to 12″. Large capacity means giving you second-oven convenience, and you do not need to cook multiple times if you have a large family or you are having a party at your place. With this oven makes you can stay on the table and doesn’t need to run back and forth to prepare food.
- Interior Light
The interior of this oven is properly lit with an in-built lamp bulb, which makes the food viewing quite easy while it is being cooked, hence enabling you to take a look at the food if you are unsure about the cooking time of a new recipe you are trying.
- Extra Additions
The body of this oven is an improved stainless steel housing which adds to its durability of this oven. The finish of the outer side is enhanced with chrome accents in black and an eye-catching polished finish that adds to the classy look of this specific product. This oven also comes with a wider temperature range of 150 to 450 degrees, allowing you to bake and toast foods that need high temperatures for proper cooking.
Furthermore, the baking pan and broiler rack provided with this product are enamel coated which makes them a very durable option to use with this oven for baking and toasting purposes. Enamel-treated pans and racks last longer and have a decent finish, and are easy to clean. It also comes with a removable external crumb tray and has two rack positions.
Pros
- Large Interior Space – In my research, I found that this oven has almost the largest Interior in its price range. However, with its large capacity, this oven doesn’t cost much of your counter space and easily accommodates on your countertop with ease of use. Large capacity also provides an ease of cooking bigger meals and foods that need more space to fit in your regular toaster ovens.
- Safe Door Handle – Owners love the design of door handles for the reason that although the body gets hot while operating like most other ovens, the door handle is perfectly safe to touch and your hands won’t get burned.
- Versatile – Most owners praise this toaster oven for its high performance on its multifunction like toasting, baking, heating, and defrosting. It does every job excellently. Its convection technology provides a good cooking experience where foods get cooked evenly and saves time and energy. Some owners replace their regular ovens with this oven for defrosting something, toasting nuts, and warming leftovers.
- Digital Timer – The 90 minutes digital timer brings much convenience to owners. It allows you to cook continuously without setting the timer again and again or manually shutting off the oven since it is an automatic timer and the oven turns off automatically once the time runs out.
Cons
- Hot Housing – The unit housing of stainless steel tends to get hot when working, which an oven is meant to be, but still poses a risk of burns, so one needs to be careful while operating this product when it is still hot or working. Use the safe door handle to avoid these problems. Some owners also suggest that it would be nice if the unit had a door switch to turn off the convection fan because when the door was opened, it would blow the hot air out.
- Electrical Hazard – This oven comes with a two-wire powering system without a ground option making it a risky option in case any electrical short circuit occurs. They think this is a serious drawback of this product. However, some owners point out it is caused by incorrect use because this oven has a polarized plug. The polarized plug is used to keep the electricity going into the appliance where it’s supposed to go and keeps the user from getting shocked while touching and using it. So if you use the oven in the right manner that it was designed to be then you will not be shocked.
Summary
Overall it’s a good product with multiple cooking options, extensive timer and temperature, and digital controls. It is enhanced with convection cooking technology and a lit interior compartment with multiple racking options. Durable stainless steel housing and enamel-treated rack and pan tend to make it a strong product.
Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven
[amazon box=”B001L5TVGW”]
I can guarantee that Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven is a definitely amazing product that provides a commercial-grade cooking experience. Based on the simple fact that different kinds of foods require different heating methodologies, the Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ is an amazing appliance to have in your kitchen. This product not only provides consistent distribution of heat to the food inside but can also adjust the magnitude of heat distribution according to the kind of food for perfect results. This 1800-Watt, beautifully designed appliance provides the customer with an amazing cooking and baking experience. It contains five individual quartz heating elements, one more than the previous models, which assures the smooth and timely cooking of food.
Features
- Capacity
Breville BOV800XL has a large baking capacity. It can fit a 13-inch pizza and 6 toast slices, while its previous models could fit a 12-inch pizza and only 4 toast slices.
- Element IQ Technology
One of the best features of this Breville product is its Element IQ technology. This smart feature helps in consistent and even distribution of heat to the food. Another brilliant advantage of this technology is that it adjusts the heat distribution for different kinds of foods. This provides the customer full control over the heat and helps in easy cooking, baking, or broiling for perfect results.
- Pre-set Functions
In my research, I found till now none of the other toaster ovens have as many functions as this model. It contains 9 pre-set functions to help the users choose the best setting for the type of food they are cooking. These functions are bake, broil, roast, cookies, reheat, pizza, bagel, toast, and warm. The warm feature is the newly added feature not present in the previous model.
Although these options come with recommended settings, the user can customize the settings to personal taste or according to the recipe. These customized settings will remain in the memory of the oven until they are changed or it is unplugged.
- Heating Elements
This product contains 5 separate quartz heating elements placed at different angles to provide proper heat. These heating elements help cook the food quickly and smoothly. In addition, this appliance can also adjust the wattage of these elements from 1800 watts to lower values of power, providing the customer complete control over heating as well as power by simply rotating a knob.
- Convection Cooking
This Smart Oven has an amazing feature for even heat supply called convection cooking. Convection cooking uses a fan that circulates hot air throughout the cooking process to cook food at the same rate. This is particularly useful in baking delicacies that need to be cooked smoothly.
- Extra Features
Along with the above-mentioned features, the Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven comes with some more added features. This stainless steel housed product has a tray that keeps the plate warm. The interior contains 3 rack positions which are non-stick and easy to clean and a removable pull-out crumb tray while the exterior has a stylish look.
It also comes with three pans which are pizza, baking, and broiling pans. A very helpful user manual which contains all the information regarding its operation is also included.
Some other nice features include a tempered glass door and an LCD that turns orange during preheating and cooking and blue once the cooking is complete. This LCD also calculates the correct time and temperature for cooking.
Pros
- Energy and Space Saving – Customers say that this model saves lots of energy and some space for them. It is energy efficient as it uses approximately 50% less electricity than regular ovens. Despite having a larger capacity than most ovens, it fits easily even on the countertop of the smallest kitchens.
- Heat Distribution Control – Another advantage of this oven is that it allows the user to fully control temperature distribution. This is made possible with the help of element IQ technology. This technology changes the way the heating elements work. Previously, the heating elements just used to turn on and off but with element IQ each of these elements can be controlled individually to provide proper heating whenever and wherever it is required. This feature made this oven outstanding and is the biggest reason driving users to pay money.
- Timer – The timer used in this oven is a great help to the user because it turns off automatically after the cooking is done. This does not just happen for one or two functions but for all 9 of them, which wins the user favorite. This function is really useful as it prevents the food from overcooking or burning.
- Versatile – This Breville oven provides perfect settings of heat and temperature in its 9 pre-set functions. It is praised by most owners for bringing many conveniences in setting to satisfy different cooking needs and therefore saving lots of time. Apart from the 9 pre-set functions available, the user can also set customized settings for some specific foods or according to personal taste. This is an amazing feature used by Breville and it always gives excellent results whether you bake or broil or use any other function.
- Friendly Interface – Although this appliance has a lot of cooking options, the customers don’t think it is hard to operate because of its user and environment-friendly design. The user interface has been elaborately designed such that it becomes very easy for the user to cook food with this oven. This helps a lot since this product has a lot of cooking options, and it would become very complex for the user to decide how to perform a certain function if the interface is not user-friendly.
- Door – Along with a very good shape and stylish design, the magnetic door helps avoid burns, and the doors are sealed completely, which prevents unnecessary heating of the kitchen or surrounding area. If you have done some research, then you must know that most ovens have these safety issues on the door.
Cons
Although BOV800XL has a lot of high-technology functions, it also has a few minor issues. Most of these issues are not that big in magnitude as compared to the merits of this product.
- Cord – One issue with this appliance is that its cord is a little short(less than 3 feet), which creates a problem if you do not have an outlet near the place where you want to place your oven. Usually, the customers do not encounter this problem since circuits installed in the kitchen are no more than 2 feet away from each other.
- Heating Up – Another issue is the heating up of the exterior of the oven when you use it for some time. If it keeps on happening regularly, then it is better to use it in a little open space and also uses it by lowering its settings and cooking at medium temperatures.
This Breville oven uses 1800 Watts, so if the kitchen has a single 15-ampere circuit installed, then other power-consuming appliances cannot be used at the same time when the oven is being used. Customers also do not encounter this problem because usually there is more than one circuit installed in the kitchen and even normal homes have 20-ampere circuits.
Summary
Overall, this Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven is an excellent choice for your kitchen countertop if you can afford a few extra dollars. It is very easy to use and has a large number of high-technology, user-friendly features which help the customer cook delicious food. It is also the bestselling product on E-commerce stores like Amazon.
Cuisinart TOB-195 Exact Heat Toaster Oven Broiler
[amazon box=”B000PYF768″]
We all know the past is the era when kitchens used to be stuffed with baking ovens, a toaster, and a separate microwave heating oven. For this TOB-195 Toaster Oven Broiler, I think Cuisinart has made it possible to replace all the above three with just one TOB-195 Toaster Oven Broiler where cooking has been made easier by providing baking, toasting, and broiling all in one place, the countertop of any kitchen. This product is empowered by Cuisinart with features of some great technologies, including Exact Heat, Total Touch, and Always Even, which makes baking and toasting easier. It’s definitely one of the ultimate desires of every household.
Features
This product is a beast from the power rating perspective. 1500 watts of power makes it a pretty powerful cooking appliance, and hence it is able to heat up to temperatures of 500 degrees centigrade, making it possible to cook, bake or roast almost anything.
- Multiple Baking
Whether it is pizza and roasted chicken or those sweet apple pies or cream cakes, everything is done with this oven by the two-in-one baking technology of Pizza Bake and Convection Bake. It also offers toast, broil, bagel, reheat, and defrost functions. Choose yours accordingly and enjoy both types of baking right in your kitchen.
- Temperature Set and Notification
Now you can time your cooking pace accordingly and set the oven to reach your desired temperature while preparing the pizza base or topping or marinating your chicken. Oh and for the good part, the oven will notify you once it has reached the set temperature by sending beeps to call out for your food to get cooked.
- Total Touch Browning Technology
Cuisinart fills this amazing product with the capability to memorize up to 7 toast browning settings. It also gives you the privilege to overwrite these settings and customize them according to your own choice to achieve the perfect crisp and bread browning of your desires. Browning selection is displayed on the LCD display which is also a key feature of this product to help let you know how much intense your browning is going to be.
- Custom Settings
Custom settings can be set for slice toasting, bagels, defrosting, reheating, and a combination of any other, with the privileged Total Touch technology giving you toasting the next level of taste and presentation.
- Always Even Shade Control Technology
Another outstanding feature of this Cuisinart TOB-195 toaster oven is its capability to evenly distribute heat for cooking by Always Even Shade control technology blessed by Cuisinart. This not only keeps a check on the temperature but also electronically adjusts the temperatures at the right places to give an even more uniform cooking experience. Multiple heating elements make it possible to provide uniformity in the temperature distribution in this oven.
Pros
- Quick Heating – The quick heating function of this toaster oven broiler is praised as a great expert over the others of its kind by most owners. The usual ovens take a lot of minutes to heat up before you can even start putting things in them; this however gets heated up within a few minutes hence saving both time and energy and proving to be quite economical from this point of view. Moreover, the convection baking and excellent insulation allow this oven to retain heat for long time periods and save energy from this point of view as well.
- Easy Cleanup – Owners also love the convenience brought by this even-heat toaster oven, which comes with a nicely finished nonstick interior that makes it pretty easy to clean once you are done with cooking. The removable crumb tray and baking and or drip tray also prove to be very convenient when you are cleaning this oven.
- Space Saving – Besides, most owners love its smart design for saving Space. The control panel and LCD are fitted just beneath the front main cooking housing of the oven, which saves a fair amount of Space on the countertop as compared to the rest of the oven, which has this thing fitted on side of the main compartment. This is indeed a great feature if you are tight on space perspective on your countertop.
- Control Panel – The control panel overall is a best-made feature; the keys are labeled in a readily understood design and are easy to operate. The LCD is also of good quality and provides a fairly visible display during operation.
- Extra Convenience – Another minor but comparatively handy feature loved by users of this product is its cord storage which allows the oven to store the power cord within its body when not in use. This saves those hassles on your kitchen countertop. The oven rack has a safety catch allowing the tray to only slide halfway and be removed by pulling up further if required. This allows users to safely remove the food and avoid any risks of burning by spilling or falling hot food right from the oven.
Cons
- Hot Front Door and Top – First and foremost is the heat it produces. There’s no doubt that this oven does reach 500 degrees, unlike all the others, which only claim to be. It does in real and indeed is a great pro, but owners complained that the front door and the top of the oven get very hot. Be careful here when you are touching the door, and make sure to use protection like mitts, etc., which is highly advised.
- No Interior Lamp – Secondly, the oven interior does not have a lamp which makes it a little difficult to look at the food while it is being cooked. So if you are trying a new recipe where you do not know the exact heating or baking time, you should be monitoring regularly or might need to recook from the start due to overcooking or even burning.
- Some Inconvenience – There is one little problem with cleaning this oven. The crumb tray is removed from the back, which makes it a little hassle while you are cleaning it since you have to turn it all the way back to get that crumb tray out of it. Another little problem is the timer. The timer is a nice thing and beeps to notify on both reaching the desired temperature at the start of cooking and also when the timer runs out. However, it does not turn off the oven, so you have to keep an ear out for that beep. The control panel is fitted just below the door opening, leaving a potential for it getting messed up due to food spilling, but it is covered nicely and is easy to clean, making it no problem.
Summary
No doubt that this toaster oven broiler has got cons, but it is a really great product for its price due to excessive cooking options and nice design. It has a high rating in online stores and is also one of the featured products recommended by myself. If you have a small family, then this is the thing to buy rather than wasting your money on buying different machines for different cooking where this specific Cuisinart can do all jobs in one. The large capacity of this oven allows for baking pizzas at home, making it a good choice for all those food lovers out there.
Panasonic FlashXpress Compact Toaster Oven
[amazon box=”B00E07D76S”]
The Panasonic NB-G110PW (the white model of NB-G110P) Flash Xpress Toaster Oven is a toaster oven of top quality and is one of the highest-rated small-sized toaster ovens in the market. It is fairly small and fits on any kitchen countertop nicely. It has a vast array of extraordinary features, but what sets it apart is its infrared cooking technology, which is efficiently implemented in this appliance. Users of this oven swear by its quality, durability, and excellent results.
Features
- Infrared Cooking
A simple yet ingenious feature, this oven uses infrared halogen bulbs for even and thorough heating. It comes with double infrared cooking, near and far, thus ensuring both the outside and inside parts of food are sufficiently heated.
- Multiple Automatic Cooking Modes
This oven also comes with a pre-set of several cooking modes, such as toast, pizza, and roll. It also calculates the cooking time required for each mode. This is a handy feature and prevents the user from overheating or burning the food.
- Removable Crumb Tray
It is easy to clean since the crumb tray comes out easily from the bottom of the oven.
- Interior Light
It has a bright interior light so that the user can see the food clearly while it is being cooked. In this way, users can make adjustments to the settings based on what they see inside the oven.
- Compact Size
It has a small size and is therefore ideal for small kitchens.
Pros
- Infrared Technology
The most obvious advantage praised by customers this toaster oven has over other similar products is its infrared technology. In simple words, infrared technology dispenses with the need to preheat. Instead, it makes what you put in the oven get instantly heated, and it cooks both the outside and the inside of the food efficiently and completely with near and far infrared heating. As far as I know, customers are very pleased with the results of this technology, reporting that it does what it promises, and food is cooked very evenly. It is especially good at baking frozen food such as garlic bread, with the center being very soft.
Also, infrared cooking drastically reduces cooking time, which is a major positive factor of this oven. It is important to know that, unlike ultraviolet rays, infrared rays do not affect health and are, therefore, safe to use in ovens. Customers also say that this oven has an excellent performance in making soggy food delicious again, and is able to return the crispness and fresh taste to heated food with a microwave oven. Infrared technology also makes it much faster than other competitors on the market and, therefore, a much more energy-efficient appliance. Its cooking speed adds bonus points for this product when it comes to preparing breakfast in the morning when you are running late.
- High Quality and Durable
Also, it is surprisingly durable and is capable of bearing quite a beating. Users who have mishandled it by mistake have found that it’s tough exterior and high-quality structure are worthy of the name. When it comes to appliances that can be part of your kitchen for a very long time, this product can do this job. Most users find that it works very well for at least six to eight years.
- Convenience
It is easy to clean with the crumb tray, which slides out so that crumbs are removed without having to shake them off the oven. Another added value is the bright interior light that indicates cooking. Most customers consider the interior light as an important factor when choosing toaster ovens. It enables the user to see the food clearly when working so that users can judge the process, for example, whether a bagel has achieved the perfect level of toasting.
- Safe
This oven also produces considerably less heat than its traditional oven counterpart. Considering the fact that it is designed primarily for small households, this is an essential feature to achieve comfortable cooking because no one wants a heated living space every time they operate their oven. It also reduces the risk of fire. Besides, it is energy efficient and does not put a huge number on your electricity bill. It has no hot coils, so it is safer than ovens that use this feature.
Cons
- Capacity
First, this oven may not be suitable for people who want to bake large things in it. It is a small-capacity appliance and cannot replace traditional ovens in terms of cooking capacity. Although it is great for toasting and baking small pizzas and slices, it is not possible to cook a chicken in it or bake a full-sized cake. If you are searching in the market for an oven that can do these things (and you have the Space for it), you’d better search for an oven with a larger size.
- Learning Process
There is a learning process that users must go through when they first start using this product. The infrared heating technology, for all its advantages, is different from conventional heating technology, and therefore, optimal cooking times and settings are different too. What confuse customers is that recipes and instructions often include how long food should be cooked in the oven; however, these instructions cannot be strictly followed when using this appliance. The user has to develop a feel for the oven’s cooking time and experience some failure and trial. Fortunately, this is not a big problem since customers have reported that they tend to learn the oven’s cooking time specifications fairly easily and are able to operate it efficiently.
- Other Minor Problems
Although a majority of customers have found it to be durable, some have found that the steam from the vents damages the paint after a few years of heavy daily use. However, there is no indication that this affects the oven performance. Customers say that you should take care when placing the oven since it has multiple air vents and none should be blocked.
Also, unlike other ovens, the plug is placed on the right side and not at the back of the oven. Knowing this small detail will help prospective buyers better decide where to place the oven in their home. Pressing the buttons to navigate through settings will result in beep sounds, which some people may find irritating. Some users have also reported that the top of the oven gets very hot when it is in operation, and you must take care not to place anything on top of the appliance.
Some people have noticed that it is a bit biased towards its backside, which makes the color on the toasted bottom slightly different from the top. This may not be a noticeable problem to many people.
Summary
If you’re looking for a toaster oven that heats food very well and is capable of baking good quality food in smaller portions, this is definitely what you want. It adheres to Panasonic’s reputation of providing quality products and has features both in design and functionality that have made this oven a favorite of thousands of people who have used it. However, for someone whose cooking needs require a larger oven, this is not an ideal appliance. For everyone else, it is an easy and worthy choice.
Hamilton Beach 31333 Toaster Oven
[amazon box=”B008J8MLHA”]
Hamilton Beach 31333 Convection Toaster Oven is a wonderful, affordable, and easy-to-use product that offers a comfortable cooking experience. Whether it is toasting, baking, or even cooking, it brings you much convenience. What customers love most about this product are its low price and also its user-friendly convection oven, which lets you bake really fast. Now you can have convection cooking and toasting in one quite convenient appliance. It has toast, bake, and broil functions, plus a convection function that is rarely seen on other toaster ovens at this price.
This toaster oven comes with a 30-minute timer and a “Stay On” Setting, which makes it possible to cook as long as you wish. It can hold 6 slices of bread and pizza up to 12 inches. Its temperature ranges from 150°F to 450°F.
Features
- Design – It has a shiny stainless steel exterior body which gives it a very stylish look. The unit doesn’t cost a lot of Space on your countertop and is fairly small enough to fit into most places with its dimensions as 18″w x 13.5″d x 9.5″h. Also, its front door has a glass panel that lets you keep track of your food’s progress.
- Adjustable Rack – It comes with an adjustable interior rack that can be used to adjust the height of food and bring it even closer to the broiler.
- Power efficient – Hamilton Beach 31333 toaster convection oven is a very efficient machine with very low power consumption as compared to normal kitchen ovens. It uses up to 71 percent less energy yet it is faster when reheating.
Pros
- Balanced Performance – Most Buyers bought this product for its budget price with balanced performance on its basic oven functions. It gives you low power consumption, low noise, quicker baking, an adjustable broiling rack, and much more.
- Cleanup – Very easy time-saving cleanup because of the removable crumb try. The toaster itself is a pretty neat device and does not create any food mess.
- Space Saving and Light Weight – It doesn’t take up a lot of space on your counter while still being large enough to fit a 12-inch pizza or a 12 X 9 in. pan. It is a very lightweight unit weighing very little, approximately 11.02 Lbs.
- Accurate Temperature – Some owners checked the temperature with an oven thermometer and found all the marked temperatures to be spot-on.
Cons
- Timer – The unit itself is quite soundless, but the ticker timer is a little loud, which some of the customers do not appreciate.
- Exterior Gets Hot When Working – They also think that its stainless look is great, but it has its downside. The oven gets hot on the outside, and you should take care touching it.
- Timing Digits – In my research, I found that the oven’s timing digits on display are somewhat small, which makes it a little difficult to figure out the time from a distance. This could be a problem for some elderly people.
Summary
Hamilton Beach 31333 Convection Toaster Oven is one of the perfect machines for normal daily use. It performs well with basic functions that are required, and customers love what they get in such an inexpensive powerful machine with a very tasty cooking experience. Although it has certain cons yet it has a very high user rating, and most of the users would recommend it to others.
BLACK+DECKER CTO6335S Countertop Convection Toaster Oven
[amazon box=”B0043E6PLC”]
Black & Decker CTO6335S is an easy-to-use compact-sized oven with stainless steel design that provides compactness, style, and performance in a single package at an affordable price. The number of features like a large digital display, convection cooking, auto timer, and one-touch preset give you a wonderful cooking experience with no worries. Regardless of the compact size, as it seems, it is roomy and large enough to easily bake a 12-inch pizza.
Features
- Extra-large Digital Display
The control panel of the oven has a digital display that provides user-friendly controls and interface, and the large display makes it easily visible even from a distance. It allows the user to easily manage or select the different functions. It can be easily customized according to the requirement.
- Convection Function
This oven provides a great cooking experience as it has convection cooking technology that cooks the food evenly and it takes less time by circulating the air evenly around the food. It also saves energy and time. It is worth mentioning that this option is off in the normal cooking mode. It can be turned on when required, or it is active for specific cooking options. When the cooking is completed, the convection cooking mode is automatically turned off.
- Indicator Light and Automatic Timer
The oven comes with an indicator light that shows the current status of the oven. The different colors of the light show the different functions or the status of the oven. The oven has 120 minutes automatic timer, which allows you to set the time according to your need, and it is automatically turned off when the cooking is completed and lets you know by ringing the bell. It also has preinstalled automatic timer settings for commonly cooked or baked items. It allows you to just select the thing which you are cooking, and the rest of the work is done by the oven itself.
- Interior Light
The oven is lit by an interior light which lets you easily see the food while it is being cooked. You are not required to open it again and again to have a look at the food.
- Adjustable Thermostat
The adjustable thermostat provides the user to set the temperature according to his specific need in a wide temperature range, which allows you to bake, toast, broil, or just use it to keep the food warm. It has a professional design heat that ranges from 200 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, having 5-degree increment levels.
- Extra Additions
The non-stick coating in the oven makes it reliable, easy to clean, and easy to cook such food which gets stuck to the pan or the tray. Now you can easily cook anything which is difficult to cook and clean off the mess afterward. The oven is equipped with dual-position rack slots, which give you two options to place the food according to the heat requirements or the size of the food. Like other models, this oven also has a removable crumb tray which can be easily cleaned after cooking.
Pros
- Convection – The best-praised option which makes this oven stand out is the convection function which keeps the heat even and allows the user to bake evenly at lower temperatures in less time.
- Convenience – The customers also love the convenience it brings. The digital panel makes the controls and functions easy to use. It can be easily placed anywhere in the kitchen because of its compact size while it still has enough room inside to bake a 12-inch pizza which requires a bigger-sized oven. The long 120-minute timer allows you to cook anything which requires a lot of time without coming to the kitchen again and again; you only need to set the timer and let the oven do its work.
- No Preheating – This oven doesn’t require preheating like the big ovens, so If you need to bake or cook something small, you can easily use this oven instead of using the old-style big ovens, which require time for preheating. It is one of the best options in the size of a toaster providing the uses of an oven. If you are having a party at home and the larger oven is being used, then this small oven can come in handy, and you can bake anything in it instead of waiting for the other one to get free.
Cons
- Hot Housing – Hot Housing is a common fact of ovens that are complained about by most owners. The stainless steel body and lack of insulation of the oven make it hot; sometimes, it gets too hot that touching it can cause severe burns, but it should not be considered a major problem because most ovens are heated as it is used for cooking. So to avoid any injury, it should be placed in a properly ventilated place providing room around the oven.
- Size and Ringer – In my research, I also found that the size of the oven is not suitable for cooking a turkey. The ringer of the oven has an annoying sound, so it should be placed somewhere that it doesn’t disturb anyone sleeping in the living room.
- Other Inconvenience – Some customers think that the controls are difficult or not user-friendly; this issue can be easily solved by consulting the user manual; once you go through the user manual, you can easily use the oven after that. One of the other drawbacks is the power cord which is too short, its length is only 24 inches so you need to place it near a power source or use an extension wire.
Summary
The Black & Decker CTO6335S has great performance and quality for the price, as it has almost all the features at the lowest possible price. The stainless steel look, multiple functions, automatic timer and temperature control, and large digital display make this oven incredible in this price range. The convection cooking technology is a plus point as it and the non-stick coating and the removable crumb tray make it easy to clean. So overall, it is a great product by Black and Decker in the price range. The only drawback it has is the heating issue, but it can be solved if used properly, and proper safety measures are taken.
Maxi-Matic Elite Cuisine ERO-2008S Countertop Toaster Oven
[amazon box=”B00121XRFG”]
Maxi-Matic may not be as recognizable a name as other major brands but this company has been in the kitchen appliance business for over 25 years. The Maxi-Matic ERO-2008S Elite ProToaster Oven with Rotisserie and Grill Top can easily replace or supplement several appliances in and out of your kitchen. You won’t need your toaster, grill pan, griddle, outside grill, or oven on a number of occasions when you use this multi-tasker.
The ProToaster measures 16*20.1* 14.1 inches (H*L*W). At 19 pounds, this appliance is sturdy enough for its many uses, and its size makes it convenient to set on the counter without taking up too much room. With 1500 Watts of power, this toaster oven is serious. You can easily adjust the functions and appropriate temperatures for them from 150 degrees F up to 450 degrees F.
Features
- Capacity – This handy appliance is 08Cu Ft and it has enough room to cook everything from an entire chicken to a 12-inch pizza.
- Versatility – There are 8 different cooking options you can perform with the Maxi-Matic ERO-2008S Elite ProToaster Oven with Rotisserie and Grill Top: toast, broil, grill, bake, rotisserie, griddle, steam, and keep warm.
- Rotisserie – It has a rotisserie for cooking tasty poultry or roasts and reducing unwanted grease and fat.
- Additional Extras – There is a handy timer that can be set for up to 60 minutes, which makes it better than those with 30 minutes timer. It has a bell to alert you and will automatically shut off the oven or you can adjust it to keep your food warm. The oven comes with a small pan.
Pros
- Quality -This toaster oven is solid and sturdy. It can hold a 3-pound chicken in the rotisserie position or a large pork loin you can roast.
- Versatility – This appliance replaces so many items and other appliances that it will become your go-to product in the kitchen. The fact that you can toast your bread on the inside while you cook some eggs on the top griddle means you can have a hot breakfast all at the same time.
- Performance – Everyone who gave high ratings to this toaster oven found that it worked well in all, didn’t put out much heat when it is in use, and was also space-saving.
- Price – Considering the number of functions that it could perform, this product is well worth every cent.
Cons
- Rotisserie – Of the people who gave this product a bad review some were because of the rotisserie function. Some could not get it to turn while trying to cook a chicken. You will have to tie up a chicken well to make sure not pushing against the top.
- Temperature – Calibrations There were several people who said that the oven temperatures were not correctly calibrated. One person checked after her pizza burned and found that the temperature reading on the oven said 400 degrees, but it was really 475 degrees.
- Clean up – Many customers found the Maxi-Matic ERO-2008S difficult to clean, with some areas hard to reach.
Summary
Almost all of the people who purchased the Maxi-Matic ERO-2008S Elite ProToaster Oven loved it and appreciated the fact that they could do so much with it. Not having to heat up the kitchen with the main oven is a major benefit, but many people purchased this product for the rotisserie function. Some people had problems with this function, but there were many who were very happy with it and had no problems at all.
If you do have a problem, make sure you notify the company right away so you can reconcile any issues. Furthermore, make sure that you have 17 inches of vertical space measurement to place this toaster oven. Although it’s not quite that tall, you need to have Space to reach the warming lid cover to remove it.
So What Type of Toaster Oven is My Best Choice?
Because of the different needs of people, there is no single best toaster oven for everyone. If you want to choose the best option for yourself, you first need to understand some important factors that determine the performance of a toaster oven. It’s not only about size, power, and functions. It’s a long-term commitment, so you need to ask yourself:
- How many family members do I have and how large capacity do I need for a toaster oven?
- Do I need 4 slices of a toaster oven or 6 slices? What’s the size of the pizza I used to bake?
- How large is my kitchen and does the oven size fit well in it?
- Do I need a convection function?
- Do I need as many pre-set functions as possible?
- Is noise a big issue?
- Is the interior light important for me?
- How much is my budget?
Once you have a few options in mind, figure out which one meets most of your requirements. So this is indeed an individual question. Everyone feels and thinks differently. Answering these questions will lead you to a reliable and long-lasting toaster oven.
Toaster Oven Buying Guide
Capacity
Capacity determines how many slices of toast or how large a pizza a toaster oven could accommodate. As far as I know, most toaster ovens can accommodate 6 slices of toast and pizza up to 12 inches, while some compact ovens can accommodate 4 slices of toast and pizza around 10 inches. The number of rack positions is also a factor that you should consider because it determines how many pizzas you can bake simultaneously.
Functions
Most models have at least 3 functions that are Bake, Toast, and Broil. Some versatile models have more like Convection, Roast, Cookies, Reheat, Bagel, Pizza, etc. Popular models such as Breville BOV800XL and Maxi-Matic ERO-2008S have even 8-9 functions. The convection function is an important factor because it makes an oven bake faster and more evenly. However, the convection function of some models doesn’t work quite well, and it will result in burned food.
Temperature Range
The temperature ranges of toaster ovens are mainly between 100-500 degrees F. In short, the wider the range, the more options you can choose when baking. For example, a toaster oven with a temperature range of 200-350 degrees F can’t handle as many recipes as one with 100-450 degrees F because some delicacies can be only cooked at 400 degrees F.
Power
Like the temperature range, the power of different toaster ovens varies from each other. The power is often between 1300-1800 watts. Higher power means faster, more thorough baking and therefore saving plenty of time.
Digital Control
Some models have a digital control function, which brings much convenience to users by providing a digital display, digital control panel, and even automatic heating. This feature always saves customers a fair number of time and helps them better control the baking process.
Price
Because of different quality and performance, there are huge differences in the prices of toaster ovens. The price can be 25$ or 250$. What you should consider here are your budget and your needs. If you’re single, then you probably won’t need an oven costing over 150$. If you have a large family or often hold parties, you should probably buy a more versatile oven with a large capacity, which also means more money.
Interior Light
Interior light aims to make customers see the food inside the oven clearly when baking so that they can control the process to avoid overheating or burning food. This is a function that is always loved by customers.
Cleanup and Convenience
Removable or slide-out crumb tray, nonstick interior, and nonstick plate are all very good features that make cleanup quite easy and save time for a daily wash. The timer is another great feature that helps customers to better master their baking process.
Material
For most customers, this is not a problem. However, some customers worry that the material of the nonstick coating, Teflon, may cause health problems, so they prefer the models with interiors with no Teflon coating.
Safety
A big problem that most toaster ovens have is that the housing and glass door often gets very hot when working, and it may cause burns and other safety issues. Some has solved this problem by providing door handle, and however, some have not. I also find that most toaster ovens will heat up the Space around, although definitely less than regular ovens, if you have a small kitchen you should carefully consider these issues.
Jen Lin-Liu is the founder of Black Sesame Kitchen. A Chinese-American writer and a nationally certified Chinese chef in Beijing. Jen is the author of two memoirs, Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China and On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome with Love and Pasta.